Originally by Blake EdwardsList RulesOnly superstars who back up the fuss surrounding their career
Overhyped athletes who still performed represent a special breed of athletes who captured the attention of fans and critics around the world with their potential then went on to live up to the expectations and often exceed them. These athletes were expected by so many to dominate their respective sports and they did just that.
These fine football, basketball, baseball, hockey, golf, boxing and Olympic athletes had all eyes upon them as they were projected by experts to have long and successful careers filled with titles, awards and praise. Many did that and then some, going down as some of the best to ever play the game.
A great deal of these athletes were taken first overall in their respective professional drafts, such as star NHL players Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, who were taken first in the NHL Draft in 2004 and 2005, respectively, or NBA Slam Dunk Champion Blake Griffin, who was picked first in the 2009 NBA Draft. Professional football players are right up there as well, such as 2011 first overall pick Cam Newton who made a quick impact on the Carolina Panthers in the National Football League.
Others not only captured the attention of prospective professional teams but also entire countries as they represented their homeland on the world's stage in the Olympics. Michael Phelps is perhaps the best example of a highly hyped athlete who lived up to the expectations. The swimmer shattered numerous personal, Olympic and world records as he won eight gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.
All of these athletes accomplished what so many up and comers aspire to do. They made headlines first for their potential, then became household names for their performance and many went on to become legends of the sport. Of course some went on to wait too long to retire but for the most part, these athletes had nearly flawless careers and it does not get much better than that.1
1,847394Cristiano Ronaldo
Age: 35Nationality: Portugal
Birthplace: Santo António, Portugal
Teams: Manchester United F.C., Real Madrid C.F., Sporting Clube de Portugal, Portugal national football team
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8631,147LeBron James
Age: 36Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Akron, Ohio, United States of America
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers
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981566Usain Bolt
Age: 34Nationality: Jamaica
Birthplace: Sherwood Content, Jamaica
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7421,200Michael Phelps
Age: 35Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Towson, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
Teams: North Baltimore Aquatic Club
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7801,146Michael Jordan
Age: 57Nationality: USA
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States of America
Teams: Chicago Bulls, Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards, Washington Wizards, North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
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5331,084Kobe Bryant
Dec. at 41 (1978-2020)Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers
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87485Anna Kournikova
Age: 39Nationality: Russia
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
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86229Kimi Räikkönen
Age: 41Nationality: Finland
Birthplace: Espoo, Finland
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3261,053Peyton Manning
Age: 44Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America
Teams: Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts
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3661,047Wayne Gretzky
Age: 59Nationality: United States of America,Canada
Birthplace: Brantford, Canada
Teams: Edmonton Oilers
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993486Maria Sharapova
Age: 33Nationality: Russia
Birthplace: Nyagan, Russia
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82731Simona Halep
Age: 29Nationality: Romania
Birthplace: Constanța, Sud-Est, Romania
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86147Yelena Isinbayeva
Age: 38Nationality: Russia
Birthplace: Volgograd, Russia
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2881,027Tiger Woods
Age: 45Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Cypress, California, United States of America
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288935Cam Newton
Age: 31Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia
Teams: Carolina Panthers, Auburn Tigers football, Florida Gators football
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247957Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Age: 73Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States of America
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Milwaukee Bucks, UCLA Bruins men's basketball
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242898Mike Trout
Age: 29Nationality: American
Birthplace: Vineland, New Jersey
Teams: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
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220792Kevin Garnett
Age: 44Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Greenville, South Carolina, United States of America
Teams: Boston Celtics, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Minnesota Timberwolves
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39Mark McGwire
Age: 57Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Pomona, California, United States of America
Teams: St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, Oakland Athletics
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199709Blake Griffin
Age: 31Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Teams: Detroit Pistons
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189896Andrew Luck
Age: 31Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Washington, D.C.
Teams: Indianapolis Colts, Stanford Cardinal football
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185534Herschel Walker
Age: 58Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Wrightsville, Georgia, United States of America
Teams: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Georgia Bulldogs football team
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186903Tim Tebow
Age: 33Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Makati, Philippines
Teams: New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, New York Jets, Florida Gators football
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155776Michael Vick
Age: 40Nationality: United States of America
Birthplace: Virginia
Teams: Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, Virginia Tech Hokies football
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